After the U.S. Supreme Court today struck down a Massachusetts law that requires buffer zones around entrances to reproductive health clinics, Bay Area legislators and pro-choice advocates are looking into whether similar local laws will be impacted by the high court’s decision.

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that First Amendment free speech rights were being violated under Massachusetts’s 2007 law that keeps protesters 35 feet away from abortion clinics.

The decision stems from McCullen v. Coakley, a case out of Massachusetts in which anti-abortion advocates argued that they have the right to approach women entering clinics for “sidewalk counseling.”

The petitioners claimed that the 35-foot buffer zones have prevented them from their counseling efforts, impeding their First Amendment rights.

Heather Estes, president of the Bay Area-based Planned Parenthood Shasta Pacific office, which has offices in Concord & Walnut Creek, said there are seven cities in California, including San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, that have “buffer zone laws” to prevent harassment at abortion clinics.

Estes said the buffer zones were created to make women and other patients feel safe coming to the clinics for family planning and other health appointments.

“If we lose the buffer zone, it makes it harder to enforce the law” that keeps protesters away from patients, Estes said.

“Having this space, this separation, really helps clients feel like we’re not being followed to the door,” she said.

Estes said Planned Parenthood is still working to understand whether buffer zones in local cities will be impacted by today’s ruling.

“It’s important for us to continue to look at other regulations,” she said.

She said at San Francisco clinics, there is a yellow line painted by the city that forms a half circle around buildings.

“It’s a good thing to have a little bit of space,” Estes said, adding that protesters often carry large, graphic signs and can be loud in their designated space.

“Buffer zones are a respectful balance,” she said.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, who passed legislation making it a federal crime to use force, the threat of force or physical obstruction to prevent individuals from obtaining or providing reproductive health services, issued a statement about today’s court ruling.

“It is distressing that the Supreme Court struck down an important Massachusetts law that protected women from violence and intimidation, but it is still a crime to harm, threaten or obstruct women as they enter clinics,” Boxer said.

“Because the Supreme Court makes clear that women entering clinics have a right to be protected, I will work to find every possible tool to do just that,” she said.

Obama, his administration, and Federal employee activists like Lois Lerner, might want to read and comply with it sometime.

”
Black female teens are four times more likely to terminate their pregnancies.

By Kellee Terrell
Posted: 04/01/2013 08:00 AM EDT

According to the Guttmacher Institute, abortion rates among Black women are much higher than we thought: They are four times the rate of white women. The report found that on average, 41 in 1,000 pregnancies among Black women (ages 15-19) are terminated compared to 10 among white women and 20 among Latinas.

Other findings included:

—The highest abortion rates among Black teens occur in Texas (78 per 1,000), New York (76 per 1,000), Delaware (51 per 1,000), Michigan (45 per 1,000), Ohio (35 per 1,000) and Rhode Island (30 per 1,000).

—While Black women account for 13 percent of the female population, they accounted for 30 percent of all abortions. In 2008, 75,960 Black teens 15-19 had abortions, compared to 65,972 among white teens and 41,465 among Hispanic teens.

I have always maintained that to stop the nut jobs that harass women going into clinics, people should start standing at the doors to churches and try and “reason” with people to keep them from attending. I guarantee you there would be such an uproar from the “freedom of speech” religious nuts that laws couldn’t be passed fast enough to outlaw said “freedoms”.

Why is it that when SCOTUS rules that in is a Constitutional Right for women to abort their unborn children that other Constitutional Rights are now suppose to to suborned?
The Constitution is to protect the rights of all of us, not just to be cherry picked to appease a few.
There are harassment and laws to protect those going into an abortion clinic in place to protect the rights of those entering, just as those entering a church, temple or mosque from those that differ with their personal beliefs and practices.
SCOTUS voted unanimously to protect our freedom of speech, as guaranteed in our Constitution. Given the varied opinions of that Court, I would think that the decision is an exceptional ruling on behalf of all of us, including those that disagree with it and prefer their beliefs greater than that of the whole.
The minority lost for a change. Accept it.

That there is a better solution than abortion.
Young men and women are always demanding
that they be respected for their ” intelligence “,
yet they keep making the easiest mistake to
avoid, unwanted pregnancy.

SKS, you point out a good reason to keep the buffer zones in affect. These women need the space so they can feel safe enough to enter a clinic and get the licenced counseling and care for their pregnancy, should they choose to continue with it. PP is a valuable resource for many reasons, including educating women about the potential consequences of their actions, without using scare tactics or threats.

A great victory for the first amendment. This law was insane. Whether you agree with abortion or not, this was a good ruling. Public areas are open to demonstrations according to our Constitution. Private Areas are not. Anti-Abortion activists cannot go into the clinics.. I do want to point something out that truly is shocking no matter the side you are on… 183,000 U.S. teens had abortions in 2008… That’s just teens folks… We are horrified when 5 people get shot. I am too, but let that 183,000 dead babies numbers soak in. Truly disturbing.

Here’s how you do this…perfectly without any chance of it being overruled.

Medical procedures are done in the facility in question. Said medical procedures in a emergency, may require transport to a hospital. Therefore a fire lane must be maintained. blah blah blah…no vehicles or standing because that could hinder first responders.

You could also throw in some claim that due to medical procedures being done, patients may have a weakened immune system therefore steps should be taken to prevent patients from getting ill via close contact.

Of course the simply amazing, absolutely fail proof solution to get rid of protesters is to get rid of the damn sidewalks. They will have a hard time protesting in the street.

@ #9
I couldn’t agree more. Mistakes happen, but let’s hold young people responsible. What could be better than teaching them a lesson by punishing them with a baby? Fool proof solution and everyone wins!

“Birth control is not contraception indiscriminately and thoughtlessly practiced. It means the release and cultivation of the better racial elements in our society, and the gradual suppression, elimination and eventual extirpation of defective stocks–those human weeds which threaten the blooming of the finest flowers of American civilization.”

I am almost right there with you. However, I think some Claycord commenters are inconvenient, but who would decide which ones to murder? But I’m with you on adoption. Let’s get Sandra Bullock and the Jolie-Pitts on board. Surely, they can adopt the 183,000 babies that skanky teen moms murder each year. The others? Let me guess, you’re first in line to take in the little darlings? I would super appreciate if you’d take in the crack babies as I’ve known a few as teens and they are just too much work for me.

Well “Use a condom” is a simple solution. Ever deal with a woman that has a dead fetus ? One she really wanted. Last thing they need in their fragile state is someone holding up a sign while they are going to get an abortion. Imagine a rape victim would have appreciated the condom idea , too.Unfortunately rapists aren’t always packing one.

When you have been there , and I have, you might change your mind.or maybe not.

Also, they have this thing called “foster care” in other countries. Maybe you haven’t heard of it. Every unwanted child in the U.S. gets adopted by a white, suburban, middle or upper class family, so no need for “foster care.”

Opinions are like *buttholes*…. Everyone has one…..it is so
easy to dissect everyone else’s “choices” and pass judgment on something until you have to make a difficult choice. It’s funny that the majority talks about the ” right” thing to do: ” put a condom on, don’t be a slut, give it up for adoption” what about when, you have tried every option and you finally get pregnant, and the dr. says the heart is strong and you can tell everyone, everything is good! And you are excited, you spread the need to both sides! You let your family know that you are going in for the next sonogram (you will bring a picture to dinner tonight), your partner asks, excitedly” are you ready to see your baby!!( the one you have longed for) them you see it kicking away and swinging it’s little arms back and forth, but when you look at the face, there is a blob. You try and ignore it and just say ” that must be what it looks like at this point” and you focus on
Your baby’s arms and legs moving and think ” look how strong he is!” And then the tech is silent , she brings in the DR…Your stomach hurts and you know your whole world will change in an instant. He tells you ” I’m
Sorry, but this isn’t a viable pregnancy” … What does that mean?
It means the babies brain is growing outside of its head and it won’t survive incubation, let alone birth… ” but if you have a moral opposition to ending gbf precnancy ” we can allow it to grow in your womb ( and die) but!
See it’s genetic makeup
Or you can save the pain. ( I only call the baby ” it” because we were at 14wks and told we wouldn’t know the gender until 20wks

Abortion shouldn’t be used as birth control, having said that this is like the disrespect the (un)Supreme Court has shown for military funerals. This is another shameful example of legalizing harassment and bad behavior.

Although, I would not choose to abort, I am pro choice. Women must have the right to choose what they want to do with their bodies. It would be best if they’d take care of unwanted pregnancies before engaging in sex; however, it’s not always the case.

What is so hard to understand about the fact
that unprotected sex can lead to pregnancy.
This is an activity that can result in the creation
of a human life. How can a person be so careless,
As to not realize this result, and still participate
in that act. Sex education has been taught for
over fifty years in schools. But as with every other
subject, the failure rate is far to high and costly.

Agree with ProChoice. No one wants to abort, but the option needs to be there. Humans will always have unwanted/unplanned pregnancies.

We can step up education, distribute free birth control. But there will be more people than this helps.

And ultimately after those kids are born, they need to be taken care of. Foster and adoption is a terrible, long process. Everything ultimately ends up costing more money.

If you want to save money, or save unwanted kids from abortion invest in other PP services like free contraceptives and education. Then there won’t be as much of a need for the abortions in the first place.

#24 Well, you should have said they were defective in the first place. I mean, you can tell from just looking at a crack baby that it’s never, ever going to contribute one single moment of joy to another person. You’re right about the real problem being the skanky teen mothers. You know, If we had killed their mothers (the skanky 30 y.o. grandmoms) we wouldn’t be having this discussion right now.

You are 100% correct. And people that kill babies should be hung up by their thumbs till they expire.

However, terminating a pregnancy is not killing a baby and is 100% legal. If you want to argue the merits or non-merits of abortion you need to use the correct terms, not emotional words and sayings. A fetus is not a baby until it is born.

I would choose not to murder my child, but I am pro choice. Parents must have the right to choose what they want to do with their children. If they lose their jobs and can no longer afford a child, or of the child develops a crippling disease, they should be allowed to kill it.

The gap in your logic makes the Grand Canyon look like a crack in the sidewalk.

@37
Isn’t it convenient, that a baby is a fetus when you don’t want it? And a baby in the womb is called a baby what you want it? A fetus is a baby, and Abortion is murder. Experience, convenience, emotional distress, is no reason for murder. Yes, should more people step up and adopt, of course! There are millions of people that want to adopt babies. I am pro-choice when it comes to woman’s body, but killing another human being inside the body is not their body. Therefore abortion is murder

I’m not for or against abortion, it’s not my CHOICE what another woman does with her body, it’s her business!
As for Ms. Estes, she should also worry about how her employees are treated by her Management staff. Ask her what her retention rate has been over the course of say the last 5 years? Talk about a person throwing rocks at glass houses, it’s a joke!

Everyone knows that driving while tired can cause an accident, but irresponsible people do it. Let’s deny them medical care and, hopefully, natural selection will take over. But seriously, not everyone knows about safe sex. If you worked with kids, you might know this first hand like I do. Abstinence only education still takes place in some classrooms and some parents don’t tell their kids about birth control or even how babies are made.

@Connie

You have a saint complex. What worked for you does not work for everyone.

Should we require everybody to be a part of the bone marrow registry and require them to donate marrow if they are a match for someone in need? Isn’t it the taking of an innocent life if you refuse to donate?

Should we require everyone to be tissue matched and require them to donate a kidney if they are a match to someone who needs one to live? Aren’t you guilty of causing an innocent person to die if you don’t donate your kidney to someone who needs it?

Should we make organ donation after death a requirement rather than an option? Aren’t you taking the life of an innocent person if you refuse to let your loved one’s or your own organs be donated after death?

Are you against the death penalty because that is taking a life? We all know some innocent people get convicted and sentenced to death, so by supporting the death penalty you are supporting the killing of innocent people.

Were you against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq because innocent people always die in war, including pregnant women and babies?

There are many reasons for abortions:
Condom broke
Woman was on antibiotics that made birth control fail
Rape
Lack of education
Birth control was in place and simply failed
Etc….
No woman would really want to have an abortion, so thinking that people use it for birth control is stupid.

Beyond all of that, no one has the right to make decisions for another person. Period. That means someone’s personal feelings about abortion should not be imposed upon another person.

My personal experience: I had an accidental pregnancy at 15 (condom failed) and I chose to have my son and raise him. At 30, I had an abortion due to an ectopic pregnancy. This was a life or death decision (meaning my life). If I had seen protestors outside of the medical clinic I went to it would have made a very hard situation even harder. I recommend that when people think of someone having an abortion they should assume the person has a medical need to abort rather than assuming they are simply an irresponsible person. In reality, it is not your business and you should not butt into their life and their choices.

Every woman has the right to control her own body. That includes the right to have a safe and legal abortion if she so chooses. I respect the decisions of women who decide to carry an unwanted or unexpected pregnancy to term or one that will result in a severely disabled and/or ill child or a pregnancy that will endanger their own health, if that’s what their beliefs lead them to do. However, they have no right to impose their beliefs on me or anyone else. Nothing is more important to a woman’s mental health, physical health, or financial health than having control over her own reproductive choices.

Connie, you were in foster care? Then you should know that there are not enough homes for all of the unwanted and neglected children. Maybe you even were one yourself. What a bummer. No wonder you’re so angry.

Happy One, I don’t disagree with you but if it can be taken away from you by nine people in robes, is it really a “right”? I’d argue if it can be granted or denied on the whim of a political entity such as our esteemed Supreme Court, it is more a privilege.
Let me ask you anti-abortion folks and this is not an attack, if you truly believe a fetus is effectively the same as a child, and people we’re killing them, why do you tolerate it at all? If someone opened up a shop and offered to kill any of your unwanted children, and people took them up on it we’d ALL burn the place down.
What gives?

Freedom of speech is one thing. Harassment is another thing. I can’t stand when people try and force their beliefs onto others. Against something? Then don’t do i t yourself. You don’t have the right to tell others what they can do with their own body. That is NONE of *your* business.

#55 You were never in foster care, yet you’re angry as hell at me.
I present a point of view counter to yours based upon my real life experience and I’m the one with the problem. You and that other poster think those people are incapable of making the same (unpopular, I might add) decision and you’re A-OK. I prefer not to think I’m so different from everyone else, but you’re probably a social worker so you know better.

Federal law protects patient rights and patient confidentiality under very strict penalties for abuse of these rights. Protestors do not need to know why a person is entering a clinic as these clinics perform many services. If a protestor obstructs someone from seeking healthcare that person can, and should, be arrested.

@Connie
Even though you might not be my favorite, it is sad and completely not ok that you were raped. For that, you have my sympathy. I also think that it must take a tremendous amount of strength and courage to be pregnant and have a baby at such a young age. I am glad that you made a choice that, it seems, worked for you. That said, I don’t think that because you chose not to have an abortion gives you the right to want to deny anyone else that choice. Your experience belongs to you. Some people make similar decisions when faced with an unintended pregnancy. Some don’t. I’m glad that women have a choice because I think they should have more options available. You disagree. That’s fine.

You people seem to be missing the point. This is a legal/political argument. If the politicians really cared they would of banned sidewalks. There is no right to sidewalks. It is that freaking easy!!! All that has happened here is a bunch of politicians get to claim they “tried” and a bunch of judges and lawyers can now make payments on their 4th summer home.

If they really wanted to get rid of the protesters, all they had to do was ban sidewalks! Ever seen a protest in the middle of a street? It’s called freaking jay-walking. Also, to get around the “right to exist” clause, they just needed to put a park/homeless encampment within walking distance, coincidently 35 feet away.

Atticus, isn’t that true of everything we consider a right? No right is 100% protected or 100% absolute. Free speech? Can’t yell fire in a crowded theater. The right to vote? Not if you’ve been convicted of certain crimes. The right to have a gun? Not if they think you’re crazy. Freedom to walk around your neighborhood whenever you want? Not if there’s a curfew in effect. Our rights are always at the mercy of the people appointed to the courts by politicians. The Supreme Court as a body has interpreted the Constitution differently throughout our history and each justice has his own interpretation.

But no matter the opinions of the ladies and gentlemen of the Supreme Court, I consider it a fundamental human right that women should have control over their own bodies and reproductive choices.

#62 Don’t spend too much time feeling bad for me (like I need to tell you that).
I’ve done fairly well for myself. Raised a really fine man. The dog respects me. Mainly though, I’m most grateful that I’m not a horrible person like you. Seriously, how does that not haunt you? I mean, your friends think you’re so nice and your co-workers like you, but deep down inside you know you’re a soulless monster. You’re not even good at hiding it. Bummer.

Miss Connie, I emailed the Mayor and complained about “@connie”. It’s a personal attack and especially after sharing the difficult and painful experiences of your girlhood, I feel that comment is hitting way below the belt.

That’s kind of you, Champagne Kitty, but not necessary. My girlhood was a long time ago, and I mentioned it knowing what sort of reaction I was likely to get. I must say Totally rose to the occasion admirably. She — and she is undoubtedly a she — far surpassed even my most cynical expectations. Would that all progressives were as honest.

@Connie, I don’t want to feel sorry for you, but I do. You seem overly sensitive and insecure. It seems that you’ve had a hard life. Calling me soulless, etc. is very silly considering all I’ve done is disagree with your pro-life, anti-choice position and your claim that if you can place a rape baby for adoption (an excruciatingly difficult experience, I’m sure), every other woman and girl should have to do the same. If I wasn’t an atheist, I would pray for you.

@Yhe Phantom, thank you for calling me young. That was a compliment? I don’t need to pity Connie. You have that sufficiently covered. I won’t be reading the Bible or taking “lessons” on it anytime soon (see above), but I appreciate your concern.

Thanks for the civics lesson. You missed my point, but I may not have expressed myself clearly as is often the case.
You said ” Every woman has the right to control her own body.” That is factually incorrect, as much as we both may wish otherwise.
Fight the power.

@Vindex Let me be clear, I’m not advocating for the legality of “baby killing,” and as far as I’ve read here, no one else here is either. Don’t confuse infanticide with abortion; they are not the same.

Connie can dish it out but can’t take it. And her little Champ Kitty is an enabler to the max. Man you fall for her junk everytime. Now that is a personal attack, so what you would have to totally delete every one of Connie’s posts, too. Evil just evil.

See, this thread is about being snarky and rude.The Supreme Court says it’s okay to be snarky and rude in front of an abortion clinic. Totally was being snarky and rude about punishing young people by making them have the baby, and about crack babies for some reason. Connie was being snarky and rude about the existence of adoption and that the real problem was crack grandmothers. Somebody else plays the “tell it to a 14 year old rape victim” card. Then Connie says she might have been in that position herself. After having just oozed compassion for such girls, Totally is then snarky and rude to Connie about her circumstances, complete with an on-the-spot mental health eval. It’s a thing of beauty, this thread.

“Don’t confuse infanticide with abortion; they are not the same.” That’s the crux of the question ain’t it? You maintain they are not the same but millions and millions of devout Catholics think otherwise. That’s the problem with living here, we forget the Bay Area is not the center of the universe.
Connie is evil? That escalated beyond reasonable. Why don’t you people post under your usual handles? That @, and anon, and ‘I’m gonna make a statement with my handle’ sh*t is weak and speaks of low moral character.

@Atticus, I meant, legally speaking, infanticide and abortion are not the same. Abortion is legal. Infanticide is a felony crime. If pro-lifers care about accuracy, they will say that abortion should be considered infanticide or killing a baby. Currently, it is not. I don’t think you were addressing me personally, per se, but I should let you know that I’ve lived outside of the Bay Area, including the region that many call “the Bible Belt.” I am aware that many people want to see the definition of “personhood” to begin at conception. This would be a change from current law, and might affect the legality of abortion. I know that many people’s personal religious beliefs (including, but not limited to, Catholics) influence their pro-life politics. I simply disagree. My response to them is that if they disagree with abortion, they should carry all unwanted, unsafe, and unviable pregnancies to term. In many cases, I think it’s ridiculous to legislate on “morality,” especially when there is no clear consensus on whether or not abortion is moral.

@anon, I’m concerned about your reading comprehension skills. Calling someone angry is not a mental diagnosis. Further, I was not snarky about crack babies. It’s heart breaking that some children are not born healthy. It’s hard enough to make it in this world in the absence of health issues. I am completely tired of “adoption” being the response. It completely ignores that some babies (born drug addicted, special needs, disabled, etc.) require more care. It takes someone with a huge heart, incredible patience, and financial resources to care for some of the neediest children. Maybe you don’t know this. Maybe you do. I work with some of the most under served and underprivileged kids and families, some of whom are teens who were born to crack addicted mothers. It is only sad and more sad that you would try to twist my words into something nefarious when I was only trying to remind someone that adoption is not a panacea for a social crisis.

Connie, you were in foster care? Then you should know that there are not enough homes for all of the unwanted and neglected children. Maybe you even were one yourself. What a bummer. No wonder you’re so angry.

@Connie

You have a saint complex. What worked for you does not work for everyone.

@Atticus, I am not allowed to be offended because I often remind my young clients that “not all white people look the same” when they accidentally call me another woman’s name. Sometimes they tell me we do. No big deal.

@anon, YAWN. You’re criticizing me for those mild comments? Saint complex is an expression that I’ve either made up or heard and repeated, not a mental health eval. Call the waaaaaaahhhmbulance. What a sensitive baby you are. Connie volunteered that she was in foster care. My comments could have been kinder, but I didn’t realize that she is so touchy about it because, after all, she did bring it up on her own. Her story is sad. There are many sad adoption/foster care stories. There are also happy ones. It doesn’t make sense to oversimplify adoption as a perfect solution because it is not.

Connie Dobbs you’re amazing. When I was raped as a twelve year old at the point of a sharp knife I felt fortunate to have survived. I don’t know what I would have done in your position. Roe vs. Wade had just come down, not that I knew anything about it. Life as I had known it was forever changed. I’m very thankful that my aftermath did not include carying a pregnancy to term. If it had I have an inkling I’d have wanted it out of me post haste. I think you are very brave.

Silva, I had a hunch you were on to something, so I looked it up. About half of US Catholics favor legalizing abortion in most cases. The religious groups whose members most strongly favor making abortion illegal are Mormons and white evangelical Protestants. The polling was done by Pew Research, which is a reputable group.

Your arguing using self proclaimed US Catholics ( 80 million), not actual active, pious and devout Catholics worldwide. I’m a Catholic, but in actual practice I could be Wiccan for all that it matters because I don’t practice the faith. There are what…1.2 billion Catholics world wide? Poll them. One of the very important aspects of Catholisism is life is to be protected from the very moment of conception. I can’t quote Canon law, but it’s in there. I’m not trying to defend the church or it’s stance on abortion, I’m trying to point out there is a very real, very large number of people in this country and in the world who believe aborting a fetus is murder. That’s is what your facing. So if you are comforting/fooling yourself that abortion will follow the same inevitable path legalizing pot and gay marriage acceptance is now, your gonna have a long wait.

I strongly believe in the necessity of the buffer zones. I have seen so many offensive signs and slogans outside of a couple PP clinics and it is really sad to know that so many women AND men arrive at PP clinics needing a wide variety of services, and are greeted by crowds that aim to shame or scare them. While PP does offer abortion services, they also offer SO many other important healthcare services that so many people would not be able to obtain without this organization. I’m not saying that people aren’t entitled to their opinion, if abortion isn’t for you then so be it… but it is certainly not your place to go to a medical facility and make assumptions about every person that walks in the door and inject fear and hurtful slogans into an often already difficult experience.

Antler on Claycord – Talk About Politics"And #246 …… It is a serious mistake to believe that all Jews (in our country or any other one) support Israeli nationalism and territorial

Antler on Claycord – Talk About Whatever#135 ....... Thanks! I had been posting about twins from bi-racial parents, so that's the reason your previous comment about Little Ricky didn't mean anything

@anonmtz on Claycord – Talk About PoliticsHuh? A foreign leader spoke to congress and you are upset . Why ? This isn't Russia where no one can dis the boss. Happens

Foreign Policy Summary on Claycord – Talk About PoliticsJon McNaughton artist released a new painting critiquing President Barack Obama on foreign policy. This one gets emailed https://cbswashington.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/obama-portrait.png?w=617&h=348&crop=1 http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/controversial-artist-creates-new-obama-foreign-policy-critique/